The proliferation of small arms in the former
Yugoslavian republics, and in the province of Kosovo in particular,
continues to act as a barrier to internal and regional peace and
security, fuelling protracted ethnic tensions and violence and
heightening tensions on the borders between states.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Kosovo,
KFOR, has seized some 2,000 illegally held weapons since it entered
the province in March 1999. However, discoveries of large caches
of illegally held small arms and light weapons continue, as do
the violence and instability that they fuel. For example, in November
2000 KFOR a truckload of weapons was discovered being smuggled
into Serbia by ethnic Albanians. The weapons were bound for the
mainly Albanian enclave of Presevo valley where attacks by Albanian
rebels has lead to the deaths of four Serb policemen.

The purpose of this memorandum is to inform
members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of action which Saferworld
has been involved in, to tackle small arms diffusion in the region
in the context of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

THE STABILITY
PACTAND
SMALL ARMS
DIFFUSION

The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe
was adopted on 10 June 1999 in an effort to jumpstart Balkan reconstruction
after the war in Kosovo, and includes provision for increasing
security in the region. Its task is to match donors with projects
in three main Working Tables:

I. Democratisation and human rights;

II. Economic reconstruction, development and
co-operation; and

III. Security Issues.

Clearly, the proliferation of small arms and
light weapons is an intergral part of wider security concerns,
and this position has been duly recognised by participating states.

Small arms proliferation has been described
by the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern
Europe as, "one of the greatest challenges" faced by
those pursuing peace and stability in the region.

At an initial meeting in October 1999 of the
sub-table on defence and security affairs (within Working Table
III) one of the priority areas chosen was "Fighting the Illicit
Transfer of Small Arms". In November 1999 a joint declaration
on the collection, destruction and safe storage of small arms
and light weapons was made by 10 countries in the region: Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary Macedonia,
Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey. These nations declared
their readiness to secure stockpiles and to destroy light weapons
in excess of legitimate needs or seized as a result of illicit
trafficking.

There have also been other small arms workshops
organised by governments in the region under the auspices of the
Stability Pact, which have sought to build regional consensus
and co-operation around core issues of concern. A number of specific
small arms projects and initiatives have been proposed by governments,
and these were discussed (with other proposals under the three
Working Tables) at a Regional Funding Conference in Brussels in
March 2000. So far, only one small arms projecta team of
experts assembled by the Norwegian/US Joint Working Group to provide
technical assessments and recommendations on storage and destruction
of small armshas been fast-tracked in the Quick-Start Package
although a number of other proposals were shortlisted for future
financing.

Thus, although governments in South Eastern
Eurpoe have begun to address the problems caused by the proliferation
and misuse of light weapons directly, progress has been patchy
and unco-ordinated and much remains to be done. Moreover, although
the Stability Pact encourages the involvement of NGOs and the
private sector in all its activities, meetings and initiatives
within the small arms sub-table have so far almost exclusively
involved government to government relations. Concerns remain that
governments will continue to take a piecemeal approach, not least
because many remain significant producers and exporters of small
arms.

The challenge of tackling the spread of small
arms can only be met through building coalitions of actors who
can work together for change. A co-ordinated independent effortboth
to support and challenge governmental actionis essential
in order to promote effective regional action to curb the proliferation
and misuse of small arms.

On 17 and 18 November Saferworld, the Szeged
Centre for Security Policy and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs hosted a seminar on tackling small arms diffusion in South
Eastern Europe which was attended by over 50 representatives and
experts from governments, international organisations and civil
society.

The opening statements were made by H E Janos
Herman Deputy State Secretary of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
and H E Bozidar Prelevic Minister of the Interior of the Republic
of Serbia.

A large number of proposals and ideas for addressing
the problem of wide availability and diffusion of small arms in
the region were discussed.

The participants welcomed the fact that governments
have already expressed on several occasions their willingness
and commitment to take appropriate steps to tackle the diffusion
of small arms in the region. However, participants considered
that it is important now to develop a comprehensive and coherent
programme of measures to address this problem. Important measures
highlighted at the seminar include:

Strengthening legal controls on the accumulation
and transfer of small arms

 Promote and develop agreement among
governments in the region to apply appropriate restraint in relation
to arms transfers in and through the region;

 Take measures to reduce the risk
that transfers of arms in and through the region find their way
into the possession of unauthorised users;

 Strengthen national import and export
controls and identify common standards and "best practice";

 Build on the Sofia Declaration on
end-use/end-user certificates to curb arms diversion;

 Ensure adequate stockpile management
of weapons held by national police, paragraphgraphmilitary and
military forces and develop inventories of state-held small arms;

 Enhance transparency and paragraphgraphmilitary
scrutiny of the legal trade and production of small arms.

 Develop mechanisms for regular information
exchange between governments on matters such as: arms transfer
and production regulations, lists of authorised manufacturers
and dealers; and

 Ensure adequate regulation and control
of civilian possession, ownership, sale and use of small arms.

Enhancing the operational capacity of governments
to prevent and combat illicit arms trafficking.

 Establish systems to ensure adequate
marking and record keeping for all small arms and develop mechanisms
for co-operation in tracing lines of supply of weapons of concern;

 Take appropriate measures to ensure
adequate security of official and authorised stocks of small arms
and ammunition;

 Develop mechanisms for information
exchange between governments to help prevent diversion of legal
transfers to unauthorised destinations.

Promoting the removal of weapons from society
and destruction of surplus and confiscated weapons

 Promote and support national and
local weapons collection programmes. However, participants stressed
the need to review existing and past weapon collection programmes
and develop future programmes on the basis of lessons learned;

 Identify and use existing facilities
in the region to destroy surplus and confiscated weapons and ammunition;

Participants agreed that the next step is the
development of a comprehensive and coherent "Action Programme",
and initiated a process to be known as the "Szeged Small
Arms Process".

Initially, this process will involve the development
of a consultation document on the elements of the "Action
Programme", for discussion at a further meeting in Szeged.
This consultation document will draw on: the proposals discussed
during this roundtable; and the recommendations contained in the
documents agreed on small arms by the international community,
including the declaration, principles and initiatives agreed within
the Stability Pact. In this context, the participants welcomed
the invitation by H E Bozidar Prelevic Minister of the Interior
of the Republic of Serbia, for a visit by an expert group to Serbia
in early 2001. Saferworld will be a member of this group which
will assess the extent of the small arms programme in Serbia and
identify priorities for action.

PROPOSALTOTHE FOREIGN
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

 Saferworld urges the Committee to
address the need to assess the proliferation and illicit trafficking
of small arms as part of efforts to build stability in Yugoslavia
and Kosovo. The development of an effective regional action programme
is vital. Action to tackle small arms requires urgent support
from the donor community as part of the Stability Pact.